Today’s spotlight shines on an artist who is hard not to love. Nashville-transplant, Carter Faith is a singer-songwriter with talent to rival any artist at the top of their game in the country music industry today. We chatted with the songstress all about her love for country music and how she got to where she is now.

“I’m from North Carolina and I really just grew up loving music always,” began Faith. “I was always drawn to it, but not in anyway that I thought it would be what I was going to do.” Although she did not yet have the awareness that she would be a country music artist, Faith recalls being an avid country music listener. “My dad would listen to classic rock and country, and my grandfather would listen to Fleetwood Mac and a lot of these 70s artists that I am so obsessed with.” She shared a love for artists like Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, and Alison Kraus, thanks to her family.

Faith also loved artists like Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, and Kacey Musgraves. “One day, I saw Taylor Swift on the country countdown and I was like “I have to pick up a guitar.” I was like “I have to do what she’s doing. Honestly, from then on I just loved music,” she shared. Adding later, “I also loved Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves so much. I connected to their voices on the radio.”

Throughout her adolescence, Faith discovered songwriting. “I had this connection to music, and one day I wrote a song, and the rest is history. I really have not stopped writing songs since and I feel like I found my purpose when I learned how to write,” she shared. Despite not knowing songwriting could be a job as a child, once Faith discovered that career path, she knew it was her calling.

The Turning Point:

Upon graduating college, Faith left North Carolina to pursue her dream in Nashville. In Nashville, she attended Belmont University. While at Belmont, the songstress prided herself on both making connections across Music City and writing as much as she possibly could. “I just fell in love with music itself and when you’re deciding what you’re going to do for college or after college, that’s when I realized music and songwriting could be a possibility.” In Nashville, Faith discovered an appreciation for songwriters like Natalie Hemby, who became an idol to her as she worked on her craft. 

While in college, Faith connected with a woman named Margaret Valentine. “She was in the music industry a little bit in the 90s herself, and we kind of just found each other. […] When I would go to school, I would do all my classes and then I would go write with her after,” she shared. Adding, “I was also pushing myself to write in Nashville and writing with anyone. It really taught me how to approach situations. I guess that’s why songwriting means so much to me in another way, because it was so much a part of my journey into Nashville. It’s what has connected me to people.” 

Faith’s hard work paid off, as she ultimately landed herself a publishing deal. “I got a publishing deal, and I just have been living the dream. I just love country music, I love Nashville, I love getting to go on the road and just make music everyday.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Faith is stepping out as an artist in her own right. With a flair of songwriting and an enticing sound, the singer-songwriter is truly the real deal. Most recently she released her song, “Wild,” a single that helped land her publishing deal.

“This song has a long road. I wrote this song I think it was 2.5 years ago with Cameron Bedell and Melissa Fuller. It was the first time us three had written all together,” she shared. Faith went on to add, “We kind of just started talking about writing this song like how songs from the 70s make us feel. I just wanted to lead this listener to this highway on the water, so we started writing it. […] I remember leaving and listening to the demo a million times. As I began meeting with publishers, that song was the kind of song that they would latch on to and love.”

“Wild” was also almost cut by a different artist. “An artist that I really looked up to put it on hold and did their own version of it. And I think hearing that version, I literally cried because it was the first time I ever heard anyone else sing a song I wrote, and I was so happy,” shared Faith. 

However once the songstress started working towards her album, which will be out sooner rather than later, she knew the song had to stay hers. “When I started putting together songs for my record, I was like “I have to take this back.” I just love this song, and it’s been on this journey with me. I wanted it to be the opening to the album, so I took it back,” she shared.

While the record release date is unknown, Faith has a new song, “Smoke Too Soon,” slated for release this Friday, June 16th. This summer and fall are bound to be huge seasons for Faith, as she solidifies herself as a rising artist in country music. “I’ve been working on songs my whole life practically, and I can’t wait for them to come out.”

Connect: